The Surrey City Development Corporation (SCDC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU) have submitted their development permit application for Phase One of Centre Block, which will be home to SFU’s new Stephens Family School of Medicine.
Centre Block is a mixed-use commercial project set for 10270 University Drive, a 3.5-acre site directly adjacent to the Expo Line SkyTrain’s Surrey Central Station, immediately south of Surrey City Hall and Surrey Civic Plaza.
The site was formerly home to the North Surrey Recreation Centre, which was demolished last year, and the redevelopment plans have been in the works for over half a decade now.
The project was originally planned to have four towers with heights of 43, 16, 20, and 11 storeys that would be delivered in four phases. The project has been revised several times, and the first two towers were previously set to reach 45 and 17 storeys, as previously reported by STOREYS.
The taller tower is set for the eastern half of the site (right next to the station) and the shorter tower for the western half, and the taller tower was previously planned to be delivered first. However, the shorter tower is now moving forward first, and is the focus of the development application.
Centre Block and its surrounding context. (Stantec-Revery, SCDC)
According to the development application, Phase One will now be a 12-storey building with 113,227 sq. ft of office space, 22,389 sq. ft of childcare space, 245,439 sq. ft of educational space, 48,621 sq. ft of outpatient clinic space, and 19,127 sq. ft of retail space. The building has a maximum height of 217 ft., and density of 2.9 FAR.
The ground level of the building will be shared, and be home to the retail space and a community space. SFU will then occupy Level 2 through 7, the childcare space will occupy all of Level 8, while Level 9 through 12 will be the office component.
The proposal includes 277 vehicle parking spaces and 138 bicycle parking spaces in a three-level underground parkade that will be connected to the existing City Hall parkade via P1. According to the application, SFU is requesting a 25% reduction from the minimum parking requirement, citing shared parking available at the nearby SFU Surrey Campus and Central City.
The 12-storey Phase One of Centre Block. (Stantec-Revery, SCDC)
Last October, Stantec was chosen as the architect and Stantec has since formed a joint venture with Revery Architecture. The scope of the contract includes architecture, electrical, lighting, information and communications technology, sustainability, acoustics, and building envelope design, with Stantec-Revery also to be contracted to lead the fit out of the interior space for SFU and the City of Surrey.
“The building massing is articulated as a series of vertically layered volumes that step and shift across the tower, reducing its perceived scale while creating opportunities for terraces, landscaped gardens, daylight access, and enhanced views,” said City staff in a planning report. “This approach establishes a more human-scaled profile and strengthens the project's connection to the surrounding landscape by extending outdoor amenity spaces vertically throughout the building.”
“The façade is articulated through a rhythmic, staggered pattern of vertical openings that create depth, shadow, and texture across the building envelope. Warm, natural materials reinforce the building’s architectural identity, while curved terracotta panels in a sandstoned finish wrap the volumes in a tactile and inviting expression.”
The 12-storey Phase One of Centre Block. (Stantec-Revery, SCDC)
According to the planning report, SFU’s space will include classrooms, clinical space, laboratory space, and other auxiliary space. City staff says the total capacity for the undergraduate medical school program is 360 students, and that SFU will partner with other organizations to open an outpatient clinic with physicians potentially coming from faculty members or from Surrey Memorial Hospital.
The SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine is the first new medical school in Western Canada in nearly 60 years. The program commenced in August with the first cohort of 48 students beginning classes in an interim space within SFU’s Surrey Campus. The school has a total anticipated cost of $520 million and construction is scheduled to begin before the end of 2026. The new permanent space within Centre Block is expected to be ready by Fall 2030.
RCP Consulting Ltd. was selected as the development manager, PCL Construction was selected as the construction manager, and the City of Surrey sold a 72% ownership interest in 10270 University Drive to SFU earlier this year for $34,638,808.
